Riot: Curfew relaxation for 2 hours as situation improves

Burhanpur, MP, October 12 (UNI) A two hour relaxation in curfew for the women only was given in the riot-torn town here as the situation was limping back to normalcy.

''No report of untoward incident was received from any part of the town in the past twenty four hours and the situation is gradually improving. Curfew has been relaxed from seven to nine in different areas this morning for the women only in view of improvement in the situation.'' said district collector C K Deshmukh.

Inspector General of Police (Indore Range) Anil Kumar said the situation was peaceful and a strict vigil was being kept.

Tension arose in the communally sensitive Burhanpur in western Madhya Pradesh on Thursday night following stone pelting on a religious procession and violence spread yesterday after 27 shops and 3 houses were torched.

Curfew was clamped on Friday as police firing and tear gas shells failed to contain violence. Eight persons were killed and 28 people were injured in firing.

A murder case was also registered against Nationalist Congress Party legislator Hamid Qazi and four others under zero here and case diary was sent to Burhanpur, police said.

UNI XC-BDG 1315